"Thusis, Duchess of Naxos!" piped the excited voice of Secretary
Gizzler. "She and The Laughing Girl are one! I know! I was in the
Intelligence! I procured that photograph so that if this woman ever gave
our fatherland any trouble she could be easily recognized wherever she
might be!" He beat his temples and glared at Thusis: "Stupid! Stupid!"
he squealed; "why did I not recognize her at once! Why did not a single
German present recognize the chief mischief-maker in Greece!--the
instigator of revolt!--the pupil of Venizelos!--the enemy of their
majesties King Constantine and Queen Sophia!--the plotter who aided in
their downfall!--Thusis, Duchess of Naxos!"
The huns seemed thunderstruck; Thusis, very pale, swept them with
insolent cool eyes.
All at once King Ferdinand got to his feet and loomed up like a bad
dream.
"Naxos! Where is Naxos?" he demanded.
And when Secretary Gizzler would have answered him: "The man's mad," he
said heavily; "there's no such place."
At that I saw Thusis's face flame; but the boche all around her burst
into a roar of ironic laughter.
"Let the fatherland tremble!" bellowed General Count von Dungheim.
"Naxos declares war!"
"Look sharp!" shouted Admiral Lauterlaus, "or we'll have Andorra
invading us."
"And Monaco, too!" growled Bummelzug. "_Gott in Himmel_! If Naxos
defies us through her Duchess we're as good as lost!"
"I tell you!" shrieked Secretary Gizzler, "that it's no laughing matter!
That girl is the Duchess of Naxos! And the other--her sister--look well
at her, gentlemen!--she is Duchess of Tenedos!"
"That belongs to my country!" cried Eddin Bey, laughing, "the island of
Tenedos. I sincerely hope the Cyclades are not in revolt! But if they
are I'm very glad so charming a lady is to own one of them."
But his attempt at a good natured diversion made no impression on the
huns; and Gizzler, venomous and quivering, held the floor and kept his
weak, vicious eyes on Thusis.
"It was the AEgean League that exiled the King and Queen of Greece!" he
said. "She made that league!--that woman standing there--Thusis,
Duchess of Naxos!"
"It isn't a Duchy!" cried the queen, choking with fury; "it's a Greek
Island!"
"It's a Venetian Duchy and belongs to Italy, madame," I said
calmly--having read up on it in the Encyclopedia since I had fallen in
love with one of its inhabitants.
At that the queen turned on me like a fury.
"You lie!" she said.